Being a woman, naturally, this debate is something that is very close to my heart. I have always revelled in the fact that I live in a country where I am free to practice or not practice whatever religion I choose, free to vote, free to come and go as I please, and when the time comes, free to decide whether or not I wanted to bring a life into this world if I were to become pregnant. The freedom of choice is something that an alarming number of women around the world are not privy too, but since a ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada in 1988 stated, that “The decision whether or not to terminate a pregnancy is essentially a moral decision and in a free and democratic society, the conscience of the individual must be paramount to that of the state”, Canadian women have enjoyed the freedom of making decisions for her own womb.

But here we are in 2012, and Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth has decided that the issue has not been appropriately concluded, and wants to suggest that there is life in the womb upon conception, and wants an independent review on the section of the Criminal Code that states that a fetus is human once it is fully emerged from the birth canal. There are countless controversies surrounding the the exact definition of life in the womb, but the issue in Canada has been a quiet one for years, and re-opening this debate, even when our Conservative Prime Minister is stating that he won’t touch it with a ten foot pole, surely can’t be doing any favours for the Conservative party.

But let’s get down to brass tacks here. I always find it both fascinating and appalling that it is most often a man who feels the need to start making decisions of the female womb. The last time I checked, men were incapable of bearing children, so what is it exactly, that gives them the right to dream up laws and regulations that would strip a woman of a basic human right; To bring life into the world, or not to. When a man is racked with worrying about the risks of carrying a baby, the possibility of not having the right resources for yourself and your baby, and then of course all of the economic ramifications that come afterward, then perhaps they can step forward and give their two cents. But as far as dictating to a woman how the conversation should go with her doctor when she’s making decisions about her own reproductive system, it’s an abomination.

I can’t imagine that Canada would ever send women’s rights reeling back thirty some odd years, but it’s still unnerving to know that there are still individuals in this country, people in positions of power, that believe they have the right to make decisions on such a personal issue. I think back to a close friend of mine in high school who had an abortion in the eleventh grade because she had made a mistake. If she had the baby, she would have had to sacrifice a full scholarship to the top University in the country, and she probably wouldn’t be the successful lawyer that she is today. Why should those who are carrying the baby make the decisions about their own body? Perhaps I’m making the issue a little too black and white, but as an atheist, strong, free Canadian woman, there is no debate.

Missy Jones is a guest author for this blog, and loves to write about anything and everything. She writes for blogs such as Hot-Scholarships.com and Ehow.com. Check out the latter sites if you would like to see more of her work.